Negotiation with Chinese business people
China is a country where culture and business are together. You should not do business in China without understanding the chinese culture before.
The first thing to account is the fact that language barriers exist. Is well known that english is the language of world-trading, however chinese businessmen can not always speak english so it would be advisable to negotiate in their mother language. You can either learn the language or bring your own interpreter in order to express your ideas with a high degree of accuracy.
In addition, Its important to meet an strategic business partner in China, which is not always an easy thing to do .
When looking for the right person to trust or rely on, you must have be aware of the fact that chinese people are very pragmatic and they would not hesitate in liying you if that allow them taking advantage of you or being in a better position
It is also important to settle a two ways trust relationship with your partners and an easy action to achieve this easily is serching information about them previously to the negotiation. By doing this, you will anticipate their expectations and achieve a more advantageable agreement.
As a conclusion I would say that significant differences within cultures and backgrounds can create several problems and misunderstandings when negotiating.